Cooper Flagg made history during the Dallas Mavericks’ 123-121 home loss against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night. He scored a career-high 49 points, the most by a teenager in league history, to go along with 10 rebounds and three assists on 20-for-29 shooting from the field in 38 minutes of action.
The Dallas Mavericks rookie notably went toe-to-toe with Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel, who had 34 points, four rebounds, three assists, and eight three-pointers on 10-for-16 shooting from the field in 36 minutes. After the game, Flagg spoke about how special it was going up against his former roommate at Duke.
“It’s just funny. I think 10-plus years down the road, we’ll both be looking back on this as a pretty special thing,” Flagg said via The Dallas Morning News’ Mike Curtis. “I know we’ll both be in this league for a long time. That’s my brother for life, and I got really high praise for him and what he can do.”
“Just a crazy ending to a phenomenal game,” Knueppel added. “He was the best player on the floor tonight. Probably, I mean, that’s the best player that’s played against us all season. It’s just fun competing against the best, and obviously, being close with him, that kind of adds to the competitiveness. So, it was really fun.”
Dallas Mavericks News: Cooper Flagg makes eye-opening admission after historic outing vs. Charlotte Hornets
Cooper Flagg was far from content with his 49-point explosion, as it ended up being a loss for the Dallas Mavericks. The 19-year-old swingman vows to be better in late-game situations, especially after his crucial turnover last night.
“I’m trying to learn still end-of-game situations,” Flagg told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “I’m always trying to get better. That’s something I don’t want to say I struggle with, but I have seen a ton of double-teams and stuff, so just figuring out how I can be effective in those moments. It’s got to be a lot better.”
“He’s not about numbers. He’s about wins and losses,” Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said. “That’s who he is. For a young man who thinks that way, he’s going to be a champion sooner than later. He continues to keep working. He tried to will his team to a win tonight.”
